Rotary Axis Upgrade

[@oldestnerd]

A couple years ago I bought very similar chuck and tail-stock pieces from China. I've started to put them on my CNC a few times. Your video has given me some new ideas and maybe the encouragement to finish it. Thanks - Good video.

[@DaveGatton]

Thanks for watching John. I hope you something useful from my video.

[@sidewinderdrums]

Nice addition. Looks like a great unit. I think the biggest step forward for hobby rotary cnc work was when vcarve added the rotary option for design work. So much easier to do a project after v9.5.

[@DaveGatton]

Thanks for watching Rob. Yes the newer versions of V-Carve make rotary axis work pretty easy. Even I can do it. :-)

[@peterplantec7911]

That little bit was actually very helpful. Thank you.

[@timhalcomb4041]

Enjoyed the build thanks for sharing you have a blessed day

[@DaveGatton]

Thanks, you too!

[@SouthernGinger]

You could also add a vertical fence to help keep the tailstock in-line. I did that with mine and i'm super happy with it :D

[@DaveGatton]

Thanks for watching Zach. I think I'm just going to go back and do it like my other one. Simple is better.

[@Cuttin_It_Close]

Awesome find Dave. Thanks for sharing.

[@DaveGatton]

Thanks for watching Dave!

[@cncnutz]

Nice upgrade.

[@DaveGatton]

Thanks for watching Peter. I think I'm going to really like this new one.

[@TheTdeline]

Really nice Dave thank you for sharing

[@DaveGatton]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@ljgault]

Dave, I never thought of doing the rotary axis on top of the table. For some reason I though you had to have a cut out like everyone else which I didn't do when I built mine. Now that it's possible I might buy me one too. Thanks.

[@DaveGatton]

Thanks for watching Larry. Just between you and me I think the table cutouts are totally unnecessary. ;-)

[@Tchefter]

Nice Job Dave! Stay Healthy!

[@grantclarke4713]

Hey Dave. I clicked on the link, but no seller in Canada. That looks like a nice solid unit. Thanks for sharing..

[@DaveGatton]

Thanks for watching Grant.

[@carloavergas]

Awesome Dave. Thanks for sharing!

[@DaveGatton]

You bet! Thanks for watching Carlo.

[@richarddicintio5157]

Thanks for posting, this is an upgrade that I am interested in getting in the future. I am actually planning to buy your plans to build a Gatton CNC shortly. Is there anything that I should do differently when building the CNC to future proof for this upgrade? Where can I find additional details on how to wire/ setup the rotary axis to the standard CNC?

[@johnnivard9584]

VERRY USEFULL

[@andrewadsit5733]

Dave - have you already done the math on the steps per? Looks like a fine step motor, but hard to tell.

[@thewoodmaster]

Dave, did you have to make any modifications to this or was the setup good from the manufacture?

[@ernmage1]

The bit you are using, looks like a 1/2" shank. What is the length?

[@kamerahc300m9]

Ok

[@guitarchitectural]

is it possible to run it faster? i'd love a rotary axis as it's pretty involved to convert a CNC lathe, but i cringe a bit when i see how slow a 4th axis is compared to a lathe!

[@DaveGatton]

You're comparing apples 🍎 to oranges 🍊. Try doing a 3D carve on a lathe.

[@guitarchitectural]

@@DaveGatton oh i know that carving isn't possible on a lathe - maybe i should reframe. i'd like to engrave some things with a rotary but i'd also like to use it to shapesimple plastic and wood pieces. if i had a 1/4" bit in my router i could hog off a lot more material than i could with a tiny carving bit, similarly i could take a lot more material off if i was running the 4th axis more quickly. so i'm wondering if it's possible to run it a lot faster.

[@DaveGatton]

@guitarchitectural yes. You can go pretty fast with a roughing pass but to get a smooth finishing pass the step over is so small that it will take a while. There's no sense in getting it done faster just so you can spend time sanding.

[@RBallarddesigns]

How do you zero with the rotary?

[@DaveGatton]

When using the Vectric software you can select to Z zero on the top of the material or at the centerline (axis) of the material. I like to use the centerline so to do that I found Z zero without any material in the way by lining the bit up with the point on the live center. Then I moved the Z axis up to the top of the aluminum block of the live center. Now I know the distance from the top of that block to the centerline of the axis so I can use the top of that block to Z zero and just add in the distance down to the centerline without having to remove the material that's already chucked up. Thanks for watching Ryan.

[@johnday9841]

Hi Dave - how does this rotary axis unit from China compare in quality and performance to the unit that Axiom provides?

[@DaveGatton]

Thanks for watching John. As for the comparison, I don't have anything by Axiom so I have no idea of their quality.

[@johnday9841]

@@DaveGatton Their rotary axis actually comes from JTech - so anybody can buy it and you do not need to have an Axiom CNC. I looked over the specs sheet side by side , comparing the 2 products and I'm not an expert but their doesn't seem to be any difference. Which leaves quality of materials used in construction and engineering to justify a 500 dollar price difference.

[@Z-add]

this is quite cheap compared to the over $2000 that AVID cnc asking for their rotary axis. It contains extrusions though

[@kelargo]

What driver are you using with the stepper? What size is the stepper?

[@DaveGatton]

DM542T from stepperonline.